Cushion lug strap



Patented Jan. 17, 1950 CUSHION LUG STRAP J. Edgar Moe, Danielson, Conn.,assignor to The Bullard Clark Company, Danielson, Conn., a corporationof Connecticut Application February 15, 1949, Serial No. 76,600

2 Claims.

My present invention is a novel and improved lug strap for use inactuating the picker stick in a loom, and the object of the invention isto improve and perfect devices of this type.

It is well known that such lug straps are subjected to extreme wear andviolent strains necessarily due to the service involved in actuating thepicker stick to throw a shuttle widthwise of the loom and to receive thereturn action of the shuttle. For many types of looms, such lug strapsare generally of U-shaped formation, with the forward arms of the Ubeing adapted to be bolted to a sweepstick, the other movable part whichis actuated to force the picker stick to throw the shuttle by a violentand quick jerking action, whereby the strains are transmitted thru thelug strap from the bolts holding the same at one end, and the heel ofthe lug strap which contacts the picker stick at the opposite orU-shaped part of the lug strap.

It has been found important and desirable to provide a constructionwherein a slight yielding action will cushion or soften the blow of thepicker stick to the lug strap, as well also as to cushion the returnaction of the picker stick as it receives the shuttle from across theloom when thrown from the opposite side.

Too great rigidity in the lug strap, therefore, is liable to break orunduly wear the picker stick or lug strap itself; Whereas too muchresiliency in the construction of the lug strap will waste power, renderthe shuttle action uneven and uncertain, and cause objectionable resultsin the cloth being woven.

In my prior Patent No. 2,445,744, issued July 20, 1948, I illustrated alug strap construction wherein considerable yield was provided in a lugstrap between the bolt slots and heel of the strap.

In my present invention I have devised a novel form of constructionwherein suihcient yielding or resilient action is provided to cushionthe blows of the picker stick both in the throwing and receiving actionswherein a relatively rigid structure extends thru the arins and aroundthe heel of a bolt strap on the outside, together with a cushioningstructure on the inside of the U- shaped arms and heel, in combinationalso with relatively inexible wear-resisting layers on the inner face ofthe lug strap to take up the wear and lateral strains involved bycontact with the picker stick.

My invention provides a plurality of layers, one being a cushioningelement which is supported and protected within the connes of the outerlayer of the lug strap arms and heel portion, together with awear-resisting and relatively iniiexible inner layer or part againstwhich the picker stick will bear and slide. Thus, the cushion element isheld and protected between an interior relatively rigid layer and anouter relatively rigid layer. However, in order to afford full yieldingcapacity to the inner yielding element, I separate or divide the innerlayer or layers at any predetermined position desired so as to give fullcapacity to the yielding element at the heel portion of the lug strap,as will be more fully explained.

I may utilize any desired material for the inner and outer iniiexible,and relatively rigid layers, such for example as metal, wood, hardsynthetic plastic material, or the like. For the inner yieldingmaterial, I may utilize rubber, rubberlike compounds, a yieldingsynthetic plastic or the like resilient means preferably in combinationwith a heel plug which may be of interrolled canvas, relatively hardrubber, or the like.

In carrying out my invention, I find that a suitable material for theouter and inner relatively infleXible layers is plywood, which canenclose the rubberlike cushioning elements therebetween and be readilybent into desired U- shaped conformation to form the lug strap, whichencloses a heel plug against which the picker stick strikes. With theinner plywood layer separated or cut at a suitable point between thebolt slots at the open end of the U-shaped arms -of4 the lug and theface of the heel plug, I thus obtain a structure which gives fullcapacity for the cushioning action of the inner layer, which is backedup by the solid outer layer around the heel strap .and also gives amplestrength for wear-resistance against the sides of the picker stick as ittravels between the bolt slots and the face of the heel plug.

Referring to the drawings illustrating a preferred embodiment of thepresent invention:

The gure shows a typical type of U-shaped lug strap having side armsdesignated generally at l and 2, and a heel portion 3. These side armscomprise an outer layer 4 of suitable length and width for the loom towhich they are to be attached, and may be of a plurality of layers ofplywood or any other relatively inflexible material as above explained.At the open end portions adjacent the bolt slots 5 and 6, I provideadditional plywood or relatively inflexible material 1 and 8 to whichthe inner layers lil and l2, respectively, in each arm are united byadhesive; and in the case of plywood a resinous material is employed thesame as that employed uniting 3 the layers of plywood. Thus, a firm,rigid structure for the lug strap is built at the forward or open end ofthe arms thru which the bolt slots 5. and 6 are cut and in which thebolts are secured to the sweepstick or other power-actuating link of theloom.

An inner resilient layer I5 extends around the heel portion 3 ofsubstantially the same thickness as that of the intermediate layers 1and 8 constituting a cushion around the heel portion 3 and being bondedto the inner surface of the outer layer 4. This resilient layer I5extends throughout the entire width of the outer layer 4 as well as thatof the inner forwardglayers Il) and I2, so far as they overlap, as shownin the drawing.

In order to give proper and full capacity for the actuation of theresilient layer I5 during contacts of the picker stick against the heelplug 20 and yet also to continue the `proper thickness of the walls ofthe arms I and 2 and the wear-re sisting surfaeeof the lueT strap.against the'nicker Stick, 1 provide a separate inner lining, laver, orelement 2l extending around the heel nlug 2o and a substantial distancealong the inside of the resilient laver I5 adjacent the heel plugv ThisU-shaped part 2l corresponds in thickness and strength to the innerlayers l and I2. but is divided thereirom to permit the aetien of theresilient laver l to be eilestive.

.Preierablv I forni the inner ends of the layers I0 and I2 and the heelend layer l5. along a slantine line snaeed from each other as indicatedat 2Zand 23, sueh slantine lines, as shown at 25. extending throughoutthe width of the .heel strap, arms, and in Opposite directions toprovide an overlapping so that the picker stick as it reciprocatesbetween the slots and heel plug will at all times have a properwidthwise bearing on the inner layers vI() and I2 and the arms of theheel layer 2|.

Thus it will be ap preeiated that I have devised a novel and effectivecushioning lug strap with a relatively rigid structure at the bolt slotsand around the outside ofthe heel plus, with the intermediate resilientlayer of substantial extent to encircle the heel plu-g, in combinationwith the inner protecting wear-.resisting layer for Contact with thepicker stick itself.

. ,My lue strap is so constructed that it divides the innerwear-resistinslaver as te permit full yielding capacity of the resilientlayer I5 where the plug 20 compresses same during use and also to givecontinuous wear-resisting contact between the inside of the arms of thelug strap and the picker stick being actuated therebetween.

I claim:

1. A lug strap of the kind described, comprising a heel plug andU-shaped arms formed of a plurality of widthwise layers, the outermostlayer being of relatively inflexible material and extend- Vingcontinuously lengthwise of the arms and the heel of the U-shapedportion, the inner layer being of relatively inflexible material andconsisting of three portions, said layers enclosing a relativelyresilient layer extending around the heel and along the side arms,together with a heel plug tted within the innermost layer extendingaround the heel portion, the two innermost portions being spaced alongslanting lines between the heel plug and the ends of the open arms.

2,. A lug strap of the kind described, comprising a heel plug andU-shaped arms formed of a plurality of widthwiselayers, the outermostlayer 'being of relatively inflexible material and extendingcontinuously lengthwise of the arms and the heel of the U-shapedportion, an inner layer of relatively inexible material adjacent theopen ends thru which bolt slots are formed, a second inner layer ofinilexible material extending around the heel portion and in which theheel plug is enclosed, and an intermediate layer o f relativelyresilient material extending entirely around the heel portion betweenthe outermost layer and the adjacent innermost layer, said resilientlayer constituting a portion of the arms adjacent the bolt slot and allof said layers being united by bonding material, and the adjacent endsof the innermost inflexible layers being spaced- Widthwise of the arms,said spaced ends being spanned by the relatively resilient layer.

J. EDGAR MOE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record inthe le of thispatent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 872,781 Ayer Dec. 3, 19072,024,757 Bullard Dec. 17, 1935

